Matthew W Driller

La Trobe University · School of Allied Health

Several recent studies have reported substantial performance and physiological gains in well-trained endurance runners, swimmers, and cyclists following a period of high-intensity interval training (HIT). The aim of the current study was to compare traditional rowing training (CT) to HIT in well-trained rowers. Subjects included 5 male and 5 female...

Cold water immersion may be beneficial for acute recovery from exercise, but it may impair long-term performance by attenuating the stimuli responsible for adaptation to training. We compared effects of cold water immersion and passive rest on cycling performance during a simulated cycling grand tour. Thirty-four male endurance-trained competitive...

The physical demands and combative nature of rugby lead to notable levels of muscle damage. In professional rugby, athletes only have a limited timeframe to recover following training sessions and competition. Through the implementation of recovery strategies, sport scientists, practitioners and coaches have sought to reduce the effect of fatigue a...

Relaxation techniques and napping are very popular strategies amongst elite athletes recovering from the psychophysiological demands of training and competition. The current study examined a novel relaxation technique using restricted environmental stimulation therapy in a flotation tank (FLOAT). FLOAT involves reducing the level of environmental s...

The determination of a cyclist’s lactate threshold (LT) has become an important test performed in sports science laboratories around the world. A limitation of such testing is that it is relatively expensive and invasive, requiring multiple blood samples. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate a commercially available, wearable lactate th...

Background Lifestyle behaviors including physical activity, sleep, nutrition, smoking, and alcohol consumption are independently associated with health, yet the relationship between these behaviors and mental health has not been explored among airline pilots. The aim of this study was to measure the association between health behaviors and mental h...

Purpose: This investigation sought to determine industry perceptions of postgraduate strength and conditioning (S&C) degrees to understand whether graduates are equipped for the demands of sport performance service roles. Methods: Survey data were collected from 111 participants employed as performance staff or in a role that recruits and superv...

Objective Light exposure techniques have been recommended to combat sleep issues caused by disruption to circadian regularity in the athletic population, although studies are lacking. Methods A total of 17 professional male Australian Football athletes (age ± SD: 22 ± 3 years) wore a wrist actigraph to measure sleep parameters, and a wearable ligh...

This study aimed to examine the effect of nonsleep deep rest (NSDR) on physical and cognitive performance, as well as sleepiness, acute readiness, recovery, stress, and mood state in physically active participants. A total of 65 physically active participants (42 male, 23 female) were randomly assigned into two groups: an experimental group (NSDR,...

Pairwise comparison of heavy dynamic strength and fast dynamic strength interventions on sprint performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Strength Cond Res 38(8): 1509–1520, 2024—Previous studies have shown that both heavy dynamic strength (HDS) and fast dynamic strength (FDS) training can be used to improve sprint performance; however,...

Background Maintaining a consistent sleep and wake time is often reported as a key component of circadian rhythmicity and quality sleep. However, the impact of sleep onset and offset time variability on overall sleep outcomes are underreported in elite athlete populations. This study investigated the relationship between sleep onset and offset time...

Sleep is essential for athletes' physical performance as well as their general health, well-being, and quality of life. To assess athletes' sleep behaviors, the Athlete Sleep Behavior Questionnaire (ASBQ) was developed in the Eng-lish language. However, a validated Arabic-version of the ASBQ is lacking. This study aimed to translate the ASBQ into A...

Blood flow restriction (BFR) is increasingly being used to enhance aerobic performance in endurance athletes. This study examined physiological responses to BFR applied in recovery phases within a high‐intensity interval training (HIIT) session in trained cyclists. Eleven competitive road cyclists (mean ± SD, age: 28 ± 7 years, body mass: 69 ± 6 kg...

Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the sleeping patterns of highly-trained adolescent swimmers. Further objectives were to compare subjective and objective measures of sleep and to evaluate the relationship between electronic device use and sleep in this cohort. Methods Fifteen national-level swimmers (age: 16.4 ± 1.0 years) wore w...

This study illustrates the potential of data-centric methodologies in enriching the practicum experiences of Sport and Exercise Science (SES) undergraduates. By amalgamating learning analytics and text mining, we extract actionable insights from practicum reflections. Automated report generation and data visualisation techniques enable quick identi...

Considerations of the development of a strength and conditioning postgraduate course, the structure, content and learning outcomes.

SESNZ 2023 Conference presentation slides

Determining resting metabolic rate (RMR) is an important aspect when calculating energy requirements for professional rugby union players. Prediction equations are often used for convenience to estimate RMR. However, the accuracy of current prediction equations for professional rugby union players remains unclear. The aims of this study were to exa...

Compression garments are commonly used during athletic tasks. However, the effect of compression garments on balance, sprinting, jumping and change of direction performance requires further investigation. In the current study, 24 recreationally active participants (12 males, 12 females, age 27 ± 3 years) completed single-leg balance tasks, counterm...

Background The Athlete Sleep Behavior Questionnaire (ASBQ) was designed to identify maladaptive sleep practices among athletes. The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the internal consistency and the test-retest reliability coefficients of the ASBQ. Methods A systematic search across 10 databases from inception of the ASBQ to August 2023 wa...

Technological advances in sleep monitoring have seen an explosion of devices used to gather important sleep metrics. These devices range from instrumented rings through to at-home polysomnography devices. Alongside these developments in sleep technologies, there have been concomitant increases in the monitoring of sleep in athletic populations, bot...

Objectives: There is limited large-scale data on maladaptive sleep practices in elite adult athletes and their influence on sleep characteristics. This study aimed to identify differences in sleep behaviours between individual and team-sport athletes using two sleep questionnaires. Material and methods: 407 (237 male, 170 female) elite adult ath...

Introduction:: Considering the specificity of the sporting context and the influence of sleep on athletic performance, the “athlete sleep behavior questionnare” (ASBQ) was developed to evaluate sleep behavior in English-speaking athletes. Objective:: The aim of this study was to perform a cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the ASBQ in Braz...

Introduction. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is a key component in preparing for competitive cycling by enhancing aerobic and anaerobic capacities. However, the muscle’s adaptive capacity can be attenuated with increased training status, indicating the need for varied and progressive training strategies. Blood flow restriction (BFR) is inc...

Introduction. Maintaining a consistent sleep and wake time is often reported as a key component of circadian rhythmicity and quality sleep. However, the impact of sleep onset and offset time variability on overall sleep metrics are underreported in elite athlete populations. This study investigated the relationship between sleep onset and offset ti...

Introduction. Floss bands (FLOSS) have gained recent popularity in performance settings due to the proposed mechanism of partial vascular occlusion and fascial shearing. These mechanisms are believed to increase range of motion and performance. While previous studies have evaluated the impact of FLOSS on the ankle and knee joint, this is the first...

Introduction. Previous studies have shown that compression garments may aid recovery from exercise in the acute setting. However, little is known about the long-term use of compression garments for recovery. This study aimed to assess the influence of wearing compression garments (CG) on changes in physical performance, subjective soreness and slee...

The sport and athletic performance industry has seen a plethora of new recovery devices and technologies over recent years, and it has become somewhat difficult for athletes, coaches, and practitioners to navigate the efficacy of such devices or whether they are even required at all. With the increase in recovery devices and tools, it has also beco...

The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of the blue-light filtering ‘Night Shift’ function on the Apple iPad at night and leptin production, perceived hunger levels and markers of sleep quality and quantity in healthy young adults. In a randomised, crossover design, 13 young adults (6 male/7 female) performed three experimental t...

Objective Blood pressure (BP), cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), and body composition are independently associated with health outcomes, yet the relationship between these variables has not been explored among airline pilots. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between CRF and BP, and further examine whether the relationship is me...

Introduction Existing sleep questionnaires to assess sleep behaviors may not be sensitive in determining the unique sleep challenges faced by elite athletes. The purpose of the current study was to develop and validate the Athlete Sleep Behavior Questionnaire (ASBQ) to be used as a practical tool for support staff working with elite athletes. Meth...

OBJECTIVE: Differences in sleep results due to the placement of actigraphy devices (non-dominant vs. dominant wrist) are yet to be determined. METHODS: 65 nights of data from 13 adult participants was collected while participants wore two actigraphy devices, one on each wrist. Sleep indices including total sleep time (TST), total time in bed (TTB),...

This study aims to investigate the impact of a 40‐min nap opportunity on perceived recovery, exertion, and maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) following the 5‐m shuttle run test (5SRT), after 1 night of normal sleep. In a randomised, counterbalanced, cross‐over design, 17 trained men (mean [SD] age 20 [3] years, height 173 [6] cm, body m...

Abstract Background Daytime napping is used by athletes as a strategy to supplement night time sleep and aid physical performance. However, no meta-analytical overview regarding the impact of napping following a night of normal sleep (7–9 h) on physical performance is available. Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of daytime...

Background Daytime napping is used by athletes as a strategy to supplement night time sleep and aid physical performance. However, no meta-analytical overview regarding the impact of napping following a night of normal sleep (7–9 h) on physical performance is available. Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of daytime napping...

Objective To evaluate the differences in subjective sleep quality, quantity, and behaviors among male and female elite rugby union athletes through two common sleep questionnaires. Materials and Methods A sample of 38 male and 27 female elite rugby union athletes filled out the Athlete Sleep Behavior Questionnaire (ASBQ) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Qu...

Introduction Actigraphy has been used widely in sleep research due to its non-invasive, cost-effective ability to monitor sleep. Traditionally, manually-scored actigraphy has been deemed the most appropriate in the research setting; however, technological advances have seen the emergence of automatic-scoring wearable devices and software. Methods A...

This statement provides an evidence-based overview of the validity, advantages, and disadvantages of popular sleep monitoring methods including, actigraphy, consumer wearable devices, non-contact devices (nearables), and sleep questionnaires.

Context: Handheld percussive massage devices (i.e., massage guns) are relatively new and under-researched recovery. These tools are intended to increase range of motion and reduce muscle soreness through delivering targeted vibration to soft tissues. There is a scarcity of empirical knowledge about the potential influence of these devices on perce...

INTRODUCTION: The occupational demands of professional airline pilots such as shift work, sleep disruption, fatigue, physical inactivity, and psychological stress may promote adverse outcomes to cardiometabolic health. Indeed, recent studies indicate similar notable prevalence of physiological, behavioral and psychological cardiometabolic health ri...

Daytime napping are used by elite athletes in both training and match-day settings. Currently, there are limited interventional studies on the efficacy of napping on physical performance in elite team-sport athletes. Therefore, the objective was to investigate the effect of a daytime nap (<1 h) on afternoon performance of peak power, reaction time,...

Background: Airline pilots experience unique occupational demands that may contribute to adverse physical and psychological health outcomes. Epidemiological reports have shown a substantial prevalence of cardiometabolic health risk factors including excessive body weight, elevated blood pressure, poor lifestyle behaviors, and psychological fatigue...

The manipulation of light exposure in the evening has been shown to modulate sleep, and may be beneficial in a military setting where sleep is reported to be problematic. This study investigated the efficacy of low‐temperature lighting on objective sleep measures and physical performance in military trainees. Sixty‐four officer‐trainees (52 male/12...

Purpose: Although recommendations for effective heat acclimation (HA) strategies for many circumstances exist, best-practice HA protocols specific to elite female team-sport athletes are yet to be established. Therefore, the authors aimed to investigate the effectiveness and retention of a passive HA protocol integrated in a female Olympic rugby s...

Introduction: There is a need for enhanced preventive health care among airline pilots to mitigate the prevalence of cardiometabolic health risk factors. Design: A randomized, waitlist-controlled trial was utilized to evaluate the effectiveness of a smartphone-based app intervention for improving health behaviors and cardiometabolic health param...

Technological advances in sleep monitoring have seen an explosion of devices used to gather important sleep metrics. These devices range from instrumented 'smart pyjamas' through to at-home polysomnography devices. Alongside these developments in sleep technologies, there have been concomitant increases in sleep monitoring in athletic populations,...

Triathletes often schedule intense training camps into their program to promote functional overreaching, although these periods pose a greater risk of illness or injury due to heightened training load. To mitigate this risk, triathletes may implement recovery strategies such as the use of compression garments. However, little is known about the inf...

Cardiometabolic non-communicable diseases (NCD) and their major risk factors are associated with adverse acute and chronic health outcomes and may pose risks to flight safety and economic burden. Restorative sleep, healthy nutrition, and sufficient physical activity are powerful lifestyle behaviours that are fundamental for human health and well-be...

Background: While iron deficiency is commonly discussed in populations of professional female athletes, less is known about highly trained, sub-elite female athletes (e.g., those winning international age-group competitions) who generally have less access to medical and allied health support. Methods: Thirteen non-professional highly trained fem...

In professional rugby union, it is common for players to switch between catered and non-catered dietary environments throughout a season. However, little is known about the difference in dietary intake between these two settings. Twelve elite male professional rugby union players (28.3 ± 2.9 y, 188.9 ± 9.5 cm, 104.1 ± 13.3 kg) from the New Zealand...

Athletes display differing sleep habits to non-athletic populations; similarly, differences occur in sleep habits between athletes from different sports. There is currently limited research investigating the differences in sleep habits and behaviors between different levels of competition within the same sport. A total of 224 rugby union athletes (...

Purpose: The ingestion of ice slurry and application of ice towels can elicit favorable physiological, perceptual, and performance benefits when used individually; however, the combined use and effectiveness of these practical cooling strategies have not been assessed using a sport-specific performance test, based on actual match demands, in an eli...

Purpose: Leading a 4-km team pursuit (TP) requires high-intensity efforts above critical power (CP) that deplete riders' finite work capacity (W'), whereas riders following in the aerodynamic draft may experience some recovery due to reduced power demands. This study aimed to determine how rider ability and CP and W' measures impact TP performance...

Background To minimise the deleterious effects of fatigue and muscle soreness and maintain availability for training and competition, triathletes may implement recovery strategies that act on various physiological, biomechanical, neurological or psychological domains. However, the use of common recovery strategies is yet to be investigated in this...

Background: Compression garments (CGs) are a popular tool that may act on physiological, physical, neuromuscular, biomechanical, and/or perceptual domains during exercise and recovery from exercise, with varying levels of efficacy. While previous reviews have focused on the effects of CGs during running, high-intensity exercise, and exercise recove...

Purpose: Information from the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Athlete Sleep Behavior Questionnaire (ASBQ) provide the ability to identify the sleep disturbances experienced by athletes and their associated athlete-specific challenges that cause these disturbances. However, determining the appropriate support strategy to optimize the slee...

To investigate effectiveness and retention of heat acclimation (HA) integrated within an elite rugby sevens team training program, 12 elite male rugby sevens athletes undertook 10 days of mixed active/passive HA across 2 weeks of normal training. Physiological and performance variables were assessed using a sport-specific, repeated high-intensity h...

We conducted an exploratory analysis to compare running kinematics of 16 male recreational runners wearing Nike Vaporfly 4% (VP4), Saucony Endorphin racing flat (FLAT), and their habitual (OWN) footwear. We also explored potential relationships between kinematic and physiological changes. Runners (age: 33 ± 12 y, V˙ O2peak: 55.2 ± 4.3 ml · kg-1·min...

(1) Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a three-component nutrition, sleep, and physical activity (PA) program on cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition, and health behaviors in overweight airline pilots. (2) Methods: A parallel group study was conducted amongst 125 airline pilots. The intervention group part...

A heat response test (HRT) assesses adaptations to heat stress and athlete readiness to perform in hot conditions. However, testing is often not sport-specific, and is challenging to incorporate into elite team-sports schedules due to competing training priorities. Seven non-heat acclimated elite rugby sevens athletes (25 ± 3 years; 95.3 ± 6.5 kg;...

Background Daytime napping on match-day is a strategy used by athletes to alleviate sleep debt or to avoid boredom. However, the utilization of pre-match napping and its effect on self-rated performance has not been evaluated in professional Rugby athletes. Methods Over a 17-match season, 30 professional Rugby Union athletes (mean ± SD: 23 ± 3 y)...

Background: The occupational demands of professional airline pilots such as shift work, work schedule irregularities, sleep disruption, fatigue, physical inactivity, and psychological stress may promote adverse outcomes to cardiometabolic health. This review investigates the prevalence of cardiometabolic health risk factors for airline pilots. Me...

Background: Previous studies have shown that compression garments may aid recovery in acute settings; however, less is known about the long-term use of compression garments (CG) for recovery. This study aimed to assess the influence of wearing CG on changes in physical performance, subjective soreness, and sleep quality over 6 weeks of military tr...

Digital self-tracking devices increasingly inhabit everyday landscapes, yet many people abandon self-trackers not long after acquisition. Although research has examined why people discontinue these devices, less explores what actually happens when people unplug. This article addresses this gap by considering the embodied and habitual dimensions of...

Objective: To explore the prevalence and distribution of health risk factors in airline pilots and compare these with the general population. Methods: Health risk measures: age, sex, weight, height, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, sleep, physical activity (PA) and fruit and vegetable intake (FV) were analysed to determine the prevalence and...

This study aimed to determine the effect of sleep quantity and quality via the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) on students’ academic achievement in their first year of university study. In this cross-sectional study, 193 students (102 female, 91 male, mean ± SD; age = 19.3 ± 2.9 y) from an undergraduate Health degree in New Zealand completed...

https://www.mdpi.com/journal/nutrients/events/13727

Background In a randomised, counterbalanced, crossover design, eight men with type 1 diabetes (T1D; mean ± SD age, 27.6 ± 11.4 years) reduced insulin (INS) by 50% of their normal dose or consumed carbohydrates equivalent to 1 g of carbohydrate per kilogramme of their body weight without the usual insulin bolus (CARBS) over two sessions, held a week...

Abstract: The aim of this study was to perform a 12-month follow-up of health parameters after a 17-week lifestyle intervention in overweight airline pilots. A parallel-group (intervention and control) study was conducted amongst 72 overweight airline pilots (body mass index > 25) over a 12-month period following the emergence of COVID-19. The inte...